The Separation of Darkness and Light
by shadowsen13232
Summary: Have you ever wondered how life itself began? This is a tale of twins who have been separated by the very fabric of life. They each have their own adventures in life. This story tied down within our history but it also abides by anime crossovers. There may be more than just the two crossovers stated on here. I hope you enjoy it - it has been in my head since I was 8 years old.
1. Prologue

The Separation of Darkness and Light

By Shadow Sen

Prologue

Before the earth was formed, there was the realm of the spirits. The realm of the spirits has always been there, always moving and ever so present. This realm hosted the God of all Gods, the Almighty creator as they call him. He looked upon his land with a grim expression. He felt a pain in his heart that he could only describe as loneliness. God walked around his realm for a long period of time, wandering aimlessly until he had a brilliant idea to end his loneliness. He raised his hands up into the bright blue sky and called out, "I call the power of the basic elements; of light and darkness. Here my call! Create for me two beings that will guide us through the years with no more loneliness!" His raised hands began to shake violently, creating an outer glow of pure light from his right hand and a glow of black from his left hand. The ground shook with his almighty power, and the earth opened before him. From within the crack a luminescent white ball appeared and landed on his right hand. Water appeared before God and entered the white ball of light. The sphere pulsed several times in quick succession until it settled down seconds later but the color shifted from white to blue. The sphere pulsed several times again and reverted back to its original color. The wind picked up and swirled around him, violently hitting his legs, his back, his head, and his arms to finally rest at his left hand. The wind enveloped his hand, filling him with calmness at its touch. The wind collapsed on itself to create a velvet black ball that shined with the dim light emanating from the white ball. The black globe landed gently on his left hand, just as the white ball did. God could feel a pressing heat start to rise from the soles of his feet. He stared down at the ground to see what was causing the increasing heat, as he did so he saw a giant flame leaped from the ground, into the black ball causing the ball to turn a bright red. It seared the flesh of God's hand and left them red with bubbling blisters but he ignored the pain. The ball stayed in this state for several seconds, it eventually returned to its natural state.

God brought down his arms to take a closer look at the newly made creations. He smiled beautifully at them. God said, "Thank you very much, my elements. You've served me well. May these newly created creatures rest until I find a suitable host for them." He held on tightly to his creations as he walked off into a vast field towards a small lake that reflected the sky so perfectly. As God came closer to the lake, he slowed his pace and kneeled down by the lake bed. God stared out at the body of water, his smile never faltering from his face. He opened his right palm, and said, "You will live here, in your element until we find you a perfect host. Be thee well until then." He released the white ball into the deep-blue lake. The surface of water shimmered with a luminous white light until fading back to its deep blue color.

His smile broadened as his first creation slept deep within the expanse of water. He raised himself from his kneeling position and walked the opposite direction of the lake to a field of lava that disrupted the beauty of the land. His smile wavered only in the slightest at the sight of the destructive area. He knew that this creation would have a difficult fate, but he knew that life needed both the good and the bad to survive. With a long drawn out sigh, he walked towards the searing lands of the dead; he called this place the lava pits. He felt the heat searing at his clothing before he was in the heart of the pits. The heat was excruciating, his skin under his clothing started blistering from the intense heat, but he had to bear it in order to finish his duty to make sure that this one survives. He carefully jumped onto the rocks that were untouched by the lava. He found a section that he could kneel down on the rock, but not directly touch the lava. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he gingerly kneeled down on the hot stone. "I bid ye well, until we find a suitable host for you to live on earth. You will live among your element, child." He threw the black ball into the deepest lava pit. As the ball hit the lava within the pit, the heat increased and God couldn't handle it anymore. He unsteadily got up and tried to leave as quickly as he could without risking himself going into the lava. He gently whispered to himself, "It may take many years to find a host, especially for the black one, but it is possible. I will try my hardest."


	2. Chapter 1 – The awakening (age 0)

Chapter 1 – The awakening (age 0)

A jet black raven swooped down quickly with his feathers glistening in the wonderful sunlight as he stretches out his talons to capture his prey; a white rabbit. The white rabbit squealed as the raven snagged its back, killing it within seconds with a crushing blow from his talons. The raven, though not a hunter, would become a hunter for the safety of his Goddess. With the limp rabbit secured in his grasp, he quickly bats his wings in order to gain the sufficient lift he needed to get back up into the sky with his prey. He flew higher and higher to reach past the multiple trees that lay ahead of him. He soared with great speed and precision to reach his beloved Goddess in time to see a great miracle that would surely happen soon. In the distance he could see the small cave that his Goddess was residing in. As he arrived, he circled the den multiple times to make sure that nobody had followed him to this location. He was always paranoid that a human would figure out that a bird was helping the Goddess and her mate. He allowed the wind to go through each individual feather on his wings to make a perfect graceful turn, over and over again around the den. At the final turn, he leveled himself at an angle to fly downwards onto the ground, landing as gracefully as a cat. He dropped the dead rabbit onto the ground and called out to his Goddess,

"Goddess! I have the meat for you and your unborn children. I do hope you will accept it and live strong for the rest of us."

A luminescent white wolf appeared from the recesses of the cave, with a noticeably large stomach. She walked with such grace and such knowledge and wisdom towards the raven. Her eyes shone a brilliant golden hue that sparkled when the sun's rays penetrated her irises. "Thank you, raven. You have guaranteed my safety and my sons." The white wolf said. She gently bent down her head, and picked up the rabbit with her large fangs, backing up slowly into her den to eat in the safety of her home. She chewed the rabbit ravishingly and ripped its dead body in no more than a few seconds. She swallowed the chewed pieces and licked at her lips and teeth as she finished her meal. The raven simply stared at the wolf with such peculiar awe in his eyes. He always felt that way when he stared at his Goddess. The raven had a peculiar feeling hit his stomach, he didn't quite understand what it was, but his instincts told him he should leave this place at once. The only thing to stop his basic instinct was the wolf's soft whimpers and growls of agony coming from his Goddess. The raven could hear his goddess's voice from inside his mind, a whisper commanding him to get her mate, Joutei. He looked confused as to what is happening, but he didn't disobey the order. He opened his wings wide in order to take flight but right before he even attempted to reach lift off, he felt a strong paw press down on his back gently, stopping him from taking flight. He turned around and saw the wonderful grey and white wolf. The wolf looked at the raven and nodded. He knew what was happening. He walked quickly inside the den and held his breath as he saw his lovely mate laying down, writhing around in agony. He couldn't do anything else but watch his beloved as she suffered through immeasurable pain of child birth.

With nothing else to do but be patient, he paced back and forth in the den. When he tired himself out he gently sat down in front of his love. Joutei was distraught, and he howled along with his mate's whimpers.

Deep within the forest the creatures stirred from a deep sensation that they all needed to visit the area that the pups were being born.

Joutei stopped howling and walked outside of the den, he couldn't be there any longer to listen to his mate's agony. He joined the raven who was sitting patiently on the ground outside of the cave. Joutei kept glancing back into the darkness of the cave as he anxiously awaited his little miracles. He heard footsteps coming from behind and he turned his head to see many shadows coming from the forest. These shadows moved in unison towards the den. He didn't know what was happening but his instincts told him this was nothing to fear or be worried about. Several seconds pass by as the shadows became deer, bears, regular wolves; they all came because of the instinctual feeling of life within the cave. Joutei hesitantly walked back into the cave.

"My love, look at the power of nature. They are all coming together in a peaceful bond." Joutei said to his mate. He hesitantly looked back towards the cave's opening to see even more creatures of the forest surround the opening.

She carefully opened her eyes to witness many eyes staring back at her from the mouth of the cave. She felt a powerful tug within her soul that also elevated the physical pain she was feeling, and she was able to breathe much easier. She looked up at her mate, and smiled. "It's time…" She said. She readied herself and began to push. She could already tell that it would be a long night for everyone.

Morning came very quickly for everyone. The whole forest had gathered at the mouth of the cave and stayed all night long until the pups were finally born. The mother of the pups had decided that in her heart, she knew the other animals needed to see the pups before they could leave. She also knew that the pups were too little to leave the den still.

"Joutei, could you come here for a moment? I have something I need you to do as I clean these two." She said as she picked up the little white fur ball and placed him between her front legs.

Joutei got up from his sitting position and walked over to his mate. He took in the sights of his two little pups; he couldn't help but be proud that they are healthy. He looked up to his mate, nuzzling her gently as he stared into her beautiful eyes. "What can I do for such a lovely thing?" He grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

"You need to get the animals outside of the cave lined up so that they can come see the two pups one by one until there are no more animals out there. I know this will take a while but it needs to be done, alright?"

Joutei was about to protest but he saw a nasty look from his mate that he knew he would lose if he were to protest.

"Alright, I'll go do that." He slowly turned around, shaking his head at what he had to do. He walked out of the cave, momentarily blinded from the sun. It is a nice day, he thought to himself as he plopped himself down on the ground.

"Alright, everyone! Listen up, I need all of you to line up in a line and you all can see my off springs one by one and then you all need to go back home." He yelled out so that everyone could hear him.

The animals all lined up as ordered and one by one they greeted the Goddess and greeted the two pups. The two young wolves didn't know what was happening because their eyes were still shut, but they knew in their hearts that this is what had to be done.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Separation (age 3)

Chapter 2 – The Separation (age 3)

The raven arrived at the entrance of the cave to see two pups getting riled up in the cave. They were biting each other and roughhousing. The raven chuckled and he turned to his Goddess with a beaked smile.

"Hello Goddess. It is a lovely morning today. The sun is up, and very bright. I think that it's a wonderful day to bring the pups out to explore."

Another set of eyes appeared from the darkness of the cave, shinning a sparkling golden hue. The sounds of sniffing and shuffling could be heard from within the cave. Joutei came out of the cave first, blinking away the sluggishness he felt from sleeping all that time. He stretched out his legs with a grunting sound.

"Good morning, Raven." Joutei said, acknowledging the raven's presence. The grey wolf strode out with an elegant stride to allow his mate and their young pups to join him in the new morning light.

The white wolf looked back to see the black pup not moving to go explore so she gently nudged the little guy to get moving.

"Go on child. Go see the outside world to which you were born into." She said, in a motherly tone.

The black little pup shivered and lowered his head. He let out a small whimper. The white pup bounded past his scared brother out into the bright light of the sun and stood proudly with his tail up and his fur bristling. He allowed the small breeze that went passed to ruffle his fur. He quickly spun around and taunted his little brother of two minutes,

"Come on, chicken!"

The raven stared at the mate of his Goddess in shock. "He can already speak!" Joutei looked down at him and smiled. "Of course he can, he is the son of a God." He said as he looked upon his son who was brave enough to enter this new world with a proud demeanor.

The black pup looked at his brother with admiration. He forced himself up from the ground and moved one paw slowly in front of the other until he reached the border of the cave. He saw the light was very bright and that frightened him so much that he crouched down even more like he was stalking prey. With his ears back, he decided that this was something he could do, he didn't want to be teased by his brother for the rest of his life. He wiggled his rump and with the strength of his back legs he bolted for the outside, colliding with his brother and knocking him down. The force had thrown them into a fit of play fighting. They were biting each other's ears and growling could be heard. Shiro, the mother of these two rambunctious pups walked out from the den at that moment and blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the bright light. She yawned and walked over to her mate with a mischievous grin. He was hesitantly watching her, wondering why she was grinning. Shiro walked around Joutei and at the very last second she nibbled on Joutei's soft ear. He opened his mouth in a mock growl as she put her paw on his shoulder, trying to bring him down. He was too strong for her to even budge him; she quickly gave up and turned her attention to her pups. As she gazed at her pups, her eyes shone with such happiness they seemed to glow. The two pups at this point calmed down and stopped their fighting and they too turned to look up at their parents.

Joutei stared at his mate with great love and admiration in his eyes, he said, "I think we have sired two wonderful boys who will be strong when they are older. But I do think its time that we check on our governing human village. Raven, watch over these two while we are away." The raven nodded, hopped over to where the young pups were standing. The movement from the raven scared the black pup; he yelped and hid behind his brother.

Joutei stared at Shadow and said, "Don't be afraid. He won't harm you. He'll be taking care of you while we are away. Isaac, play nicely with your brother. Don't cause the raven to much trouble." Isaac looked at his father with a proud and serious expression and nodding his understanding. Shadow looked around his brother to see his parents and whimpered at the fact that they had to leave. He didn't like being with the raven.

The wind picked up around Joutei and Shiro to form a cloud from under their giant paws. The cloud grew as the wind increased its power. It reached past their knees up to their elbows and waved according to the wind's direction. When the cloud was complete, they lifted themselves from the earth with such ease. The onlookers gazed at the two magnificent wolves leaving the forest heading due east into the village that they governed.

Joutei and Shiro landed gracefully at the temple of Romulus and Remus that held a statue made out of stone of a giant female wolf who was breast-feeding two human children. They bowed to the statue as they always did to thank Romulus and Remus for a miracle, and for another day that they are able to live. The peace between the Gods and the humans were very thin. Even the smallest incident could cause major chaos forcing the humans to rise against the Gods. Joutei and Shiro knew this. They were always cautious. They walked from the statue and into the heart of the village to help with whatever the humans needed help with that day. It could be as simple as needing extra water, or knowledge to grow a certain vegetable, or it could be as difficult as healing an injury. They walked on their normal path that they do each morning but they could feel something was terribly wrong. There usually were some human soldiers to greet them by now. Joutei lowered his head with his ears moving back, he slowed down his walk as he surveyed everything. Shiro slowed down her walking to match Joutei's; she herself had her ears perked for any signs of danger.

The villagers came from the sides of the building, holding spears, pitch forks and torches with bright burning fire on the tips. The leader of the village was the one leading the charge as he lunged forward with his spear towards Joutei, missing him only by a hair. Joutei jumped back from the attack and backed himself into Shiro to better protect her.

"Shiro, listen to me, you have to run! You have to run right now and protect our future!" Joutei growled at her.

Shiro swiftly moved her body around to run back to the den but she was faced with a human spear that was poised before she could react. It pierced her flank, ripping her flesh and causing her to bleed. Blood was pouring out from her wound extensively and she yelled in pain as she stumbled backwards with the spear still deeply embedded in her.

"Shiro! No it can't be…" Joutei yelled as he rounded to face the village that pierced his beloved. As he was preoccupied with trying to get the villager that harmed her, the other villagers with torches dispersed around the village, setting fire to their own houses in order to keep the wolves trapped. The fire was spreading quickly, catching with the wind on the roof of each house, and on the stables. The fire created a trapping circle around some of the villagers and the wolves. The heat was increasing and becoming unbearable. The villagers that had set the fires left a sliver of an opening for the humans that were left behind the flames. The Gods knew that if they tried to run for that escape, they'd be heading straight for a trap that would kill them instantly. Joutei's head lowered in resignation and defeat as he walked closer to his wounded love.

Shiro was whimpering softly with the waves of pain that the spear caused her. She collapsed onto the ground from weakness due to blood loss. Joutei reached her in time to catch her head with his. He lay down beside her, being very careful not to touch the area where the spear was inserted.

"This seems to be the end for us, my love. I do pray that Romulus can watch over our pups." Joutei said as he snarled and licked the side of her cheek gently.

The villagers gathered around the circle of fire, waiting until the moment the wolves die to leave the area. They wanted to make sure that they had passed on. Shiro whimpered softly as Joutei held her mate. She knew that this was the end for the both of them, but not for her lineage. Her sons must survive. Within seconds of the flames consuming them both, she howled into the high heavens with a warning message to the raven to take her sons as far away from here as he could get them. When her song ended, so did her life. The villagers laughed at how pitiful the Gods were that they too could die a mortal death. They died a death meant for a betrayer, not a protector.

The villagers left their bodies out in the open, with the fire raging on. They quickly got their things and left the area before any more Gods would come.

A sad howl reached the ears of the pups before it did the raven. They stopped their puppy play enough to look up into the sky to see orange and red dancing above the trees. Isaac shuddered, feeling very vulnerable at that moment. He growled with frustration. He bolted for the area that the flames seared the sky. The raven noticed the little pup running off into the direction of danger. The wind carried the dying sound of his Goddess's voice. The raven opened his wings and took flight. He soared with an amazing speed towards the village. When he arrived at the village, all he saw was orange flames licking at the houses. He then saw the ring of fire that no longer looked like a ring but a filled in circle. He saw the disturbing sight of the bodies of his Goddess and her mate. He flew downwards and landed on a patch that wasn't on fire beside the decaying bodies to cry a sad painful sound.

Isaac had entered the village and ran towards the sound of the raven's sad cry. What he saw would haunt him for the rest of his life. The spear was inserted into his mother's chest while having her fur blacken and her skin melting off of her body. His father's body was much the same as his mother's except he didn't have a spear protruding from his body. Isaac wanted to run to his parents but whenever he would get close to the flames, he would whimper from the heat. He paced back and forth, trying to find a way to go to his parents. His effort was in vain. He was much too weak to be able to even attempt to go through the fire and survive. He collapsed on the ground outside of the range of the fire as he was crying with pain and sorrow.

Shadow didn't move from where he last played with his brother. His stare was blank as the flames danced in the sky. He couldn't understand the feelings he had, but the flames were calling to him. He felt shaken to the core. He didn't notice until he was stumbling over broken branches on the ground that he was walking towards the flames. He didn't stop walking until he reached the entrance of the village. The beautiful flames that he was so attracted to him were now dancing before his eyes. They were so close he could feel their power and the heat. He heard the raven and his brother crying and automatically followed the sound. His eyes glazed over as he stared at the bodies of his parents. He didn't feel any emotion, only emptiness. He closed his eyes, wishing to forget what he saw. He was numb inside, completely dulling his senses. He could no longer see, no longer feel, no longer hear and he finally collapsed to the ground.

After many hours the flames subsided and the ground became cool to the touch. The raven looked up from his spot and told himself he had to pull himself together, perhaps not for himself but for her sons' future. He painfully removed himself from the spot he was in beside Shiro's body and crouched over to Shadow and Isaac and placed his wings on the both of them.

"It will be alright. We will move on and you two will survive this," The raven said as he caressed Shadow.

Shadow's eyes became less and less glazed over, regaining its natural blue color. "There you go. You'll be fine, but for now we must leave. I'm not sure if the humans will be back." The raven said as he gently pushed Shadow to get moving.

Isaac got up and walked slowly over to the raven and asked him, "Where will we go? Home is here! How will we survive without our parents? How can a stupid bird help us to survive?" Isaac paced back and forth growling after each second step.

The raven hung his head with despair and lifted his wing towards the northern sky. "We need to head north. That is where a safe haven will be until you grow up. Your parents had it set up in case if the humans revolted." The raven said as he looked towards the northern sky, thinking of how hard it will be to leave this place that they all called home.

Isaac stared at the raven for a very long time until he finally let out a final growled, stomped his paws on the ground with such force, the act startled the raven. He turned his body towards the north, and bolted that direction. The raven didn't expect him to burst out and run. He flailed his wings to get him airborne to stop Isaac from getting himself hurt from fallen debris, or things that may still be on fire.

Isaac ran with his strength towards the north side of the village to escape this death zone. He was in such hast to leave that he didn't notice that there was a small line of silk attached to the other side of the gates until he nearly went flying from tripping over it. He was lucky that it didn't cut his legs off from the force. The raven caught up to him in time to witness his fall, and to see an arrow flying straight for him. The raven thought to himself that he needed to keep the sons of his Goddess alive; he dove towards Isaac, taking in the flying arrow as it plunged into his heart. The raven fell to the ground with a loud thud. Around his body a pool of blood quickly formed, soaking the ground with his blood. Isaac got to his feet quickly and continued bolting. He didn't bother to check behind him to see the gruesome scene left by his mistake.

Shadow witnessed the scene. He never really liked the raven but he didn't know the way to the new den and he felt despair as his hope to find peace was shattered by an arrow. He knew that he had to catch up to his brother, or else he risked being lost to the world. He ran in the direction that his brother went, slowing down only slightly to pay respects to the raven. He could still see his brother in his sight. He quickened his pace to catch up to his brother in time to enter a dense forest that was being filled with an ominous mist.

Shadow caught up to his brother within a couple of minutes. They both walked in silence for most of the journey to the northern lands. They paced themselves from walking, to running, and back to walking. They only rested when it was deemed necessary. They didn't have a father figure to teach them how to hunt, or a mother figure to teach them compassion. They had to learn for themselves how to be wolves and how to survive in the wild.

After many days of traveling in the dense forest, they reached an opening that led them into a land full of light brown sand that blew easily in the light breeze. They had just crossed into the lands that the humans called sandstorm alley. They peered into the desolate wasteland filled with the sun and the sand. It was much brighter in this open area then it was in the forest. They stepped hesitantly onto the sand, their paws burning ever slightly from the hot sand. They made the choice to continue north, the only direction that their caretaker had given them. They had no idea if and when they'd ever find the new den, but they kept their hopes up that they'd find it soon.

This land was known for its monster sandstorms that caused many deaths for all who dared to enter. The two pups didn't know of this area's past troubles. They raised their heads up high and traveled once again through this desert. They felt the wind picking up with intensity and power. It battered their small little bodies with such force that they had a hard time walking forward. Multiple dust devils appeared before them, causing the sand to pick up and smacked them with such impact that forced Shadow to lie down and weather the storm. His brother was much more arrogant and proud to allow this wind to stop his progress. He didn't turn back from his struggled progress. His brother kept his head down, shielding his eyes from the burning sand. The sand whirled violently around Shadow, getting into his fur and causing burning sensations all around his body. The sandstorm dissipated as quickly as it came. Shadow didn't dare get up until he was certain that the storm was over. Once he knew, he picked himself up and shook off the sand from his fur. He looked around and realized his brother had left him during that storm. He couldn't see Isaac anywhere. He sniffed the air to see if he can track his brother by sent but the only scent he could pick up was the smell of sand. He only saw the sand and the desolate landscape. He couldn't see his brother anywhere, not with his sense of smell or with his sight.

He shivered violently from fear of being abandoned completely. Shadow walked slowly while howling to see if his brother would respond. After each howl, he'd wait to listen for a response, but none came. The ground was devoid of any proof of his brother ever having walked the path before him. The sandstorm wiped away all of the evidence of his brother's tracks. He slumped back down onto the ground and sobbed with pain and loneliness. He stayed motionless for several hours on the hot sand. His ears were picking up the faint sound of footsteps coming from behind him. He jumped up onto the sand, hoping that it was his brother who came back for him. He lifted his head up high to see who it could be, his tail wagging. He was frightened at the sight. It was a human, his tail automatically tucked under him as he whimpered. He lowered himself to try to make himself less noticeable. He kept his eyes directly on the person coming closer to him. To his surprise the human didn't look like the others. She had big white fluffy ears on top of her head and silky white hair that reached down to her hips and he'd never seen hair like that on any human before. She didn't adorn any clothing to her body like most humans, and she had a giant fluffy white tail to match her ears. Shadow saw that those tails looked injured because at the tip there was multiple small slits from time to time. He was very curious about this kind of human and forgot about his shyness. He walked up to her but stopped when he saw her eyes. They were red, the color of blood. He remembered the deaths of his parents within those eyes. He whimpered and tried to run away but slipped on his own paws. Because of those eyes, he deemed her to be evil.

"Child, don't be afraid of me." She said as she reached out her hands to the wolf pup. She was much faster than Shadow was, and managed to gently place her hand on the top of his head. She ran her hand through his soft fur, murmuring a soft song to him. He relaxed under her touch. She gingerly picked him up from his underbelly, into her strong arms and caressed him. "Whatever has happened to you young one, will be erased from your memory. If you want, I could take care of you until you're old enough to be on your own." She said as she placed her head on his shoulder as she gently patted his back. Shadow sobbed gently on her shoulder and placed his paws on either of her shoulders to keep a grip on her. She turned around with him in her arms, heading towards a den made out of compact sand. As she approached the den, she gently whispered to the baby wolf, "Here is where I live. Here is where you'll be growing up from now on. I'll take good care of you, little one." Shadow's tail wagged ever so slightly, showing signs of happiness. She gently placed him down inside the darkness of the den as she slid herself beside him. Her tails twitched slightly and the slits grew and grew until there were thirteen different tails around her and the pup. Shadow was amazed at the tails as he jumped on one of them playfully nipping them. He paused his play to snuggle against her fluffy tails. He looked up at her with a hopefully expression.

"Did you see my brother? He's small, like me but white." Shadow asked her as she picked up him from her tails and put him on her lap covering him slightly with her multiple tails. She shook her head in disagreement. She tightened her grip on the little pup and smiled. "You may not find your brother now, but perhaps in the future you will." He looked at her with such sadness in his eyes, she had to look away. He eventually laid his head down on one of her tails and fell asleep. She gently hummed a lullaby her mother used to sing to her as a child, until she herself fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
